Bible Strands
Numbers 33:4
who were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them; for the LORD had executed judgment against their gods.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrative records Israel’s departure from Rameses on the day after the Passover, marching defiantly in full view of the Egyptians. This verse describes the immediate aftermath of the plague that struck Egypt.
The words — The text highlights מְקַבְּרִים (meḵabbərîm, “were burying”) and הִכָּה (hikkâ, “he had struck down”) to describe Egypt’s response to the plague. These terms anchor the narrative in the physical reality of the dead firstborn.
The thread — The strike against the firstborn echoes the initial plague decree in Exodus 12:12 and anticipates the LORD’s judgment on foreign gods in Isaiah 19:1 and Zephaniah 2:11. The burial of the dead marks the completion of that divine judgment.
Why it lands — The passage demands recognition that Yahweh’s judgment against Egypt’s gods is both historical and absolute. It requires the reader to account for the tangible cost of divine sovereignty over rival powers.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the Lord had smitten among them: upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments.
Cross-references
- Exodus 12:12 On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.
- Isaiah 19:1 This is the burden against Egypt: Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud; He is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt within them.
- Zephaniah 2:11 The LORD will be terrifying to them when He starves all the gods of the earth. Then the nations of every shore will bow in worship to Him, each in its own place.
- Exodus 18:11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for He did this when they treated Israel with arrogance.”
- Revelation 12:7 Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
- Exodus 12:29 Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock.
- Psalms 105:36 Then He struck all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their vigor.